Recipe review club

[GlumyGloomer]

I love trying out new recipes, and thought it would be fun to have a thread where we try stuff out and report back. Source must be cited and link provided if online. Photos encouraged.

Tonight I'll be making asian aubergine wedges, from Nadiya Hussain's Time to Eat book.
I like the taste of aubergine but have grave doubts about the texture. Still, I'm being brave and giving this a go.
Worth noting that I leave the chilli out of everything so that the dd's can eat it (I add at the table).

Anyone fancy joining me? (Waits for tumbleweed...)

Let's see, I have 6inch sandwich tins, 8 inch sandwich tins (used to be my go to, I love sandwich cakes), a 6 inch loose bottomed tin, a big square one, a doughnut shaped tin (forgotten the proper name for them), a smallish tray bake type tin, three loaf tins, three muffin trays, two jam tart/fairy cake trays and 4 cooling racks (three of which are stackable).
Sometimes I feel like I don't need them all, other times I feel like I just need better storage. Some of the tins are my mums old ones, given to me when I moved out, and are older than me.

Ah yes, I forgot my brownie tin and 4 baking trays! I guess I would have more if I had endless space, but I've been trying to rationalise a bit, so I keep what easily stacks inside one another, and what is multi purpose, then I just adapt a recipe to what I have! I used to have little bun trays also (Madeleine trays?), but I think I used it once, so I got rid of that. I also have a selection of cake stands which are rarely used now, but hopefully at some point we'll be in a place to use them once more. Makes me feel a bit sad when I think about how life changes make a difference to what you use and how.

My previous home had an enormous kitchen, so when I moved I had to get rid of a lot of things - including baking tins etc that I realised I hadn't used for years.

And a chip pan, large s.c. (since replaced), Le Creuset stuff (too heavy for me to lift now), & the first set of saucepans I bought when I set up home - cheap & nasty, but kept "just-in-case".

Anyone have any inspiration for soups? DD tends to not want to eat much after nursery, but is usually ok with soup. I normally make a very dull carrot and lentil soup, sometimes mushroom soup, and that's it... feel like I need to broaden the repertoire. Any suggestions? I tried the pasta and chickpea one but she wasn't keen!

I tend towards bottom-of-the-fridge & what-needs-using-soon. Then add herbs & spices, & everything tastes better with some cream!

However, "A soup for every day" from New Covent Garden Food Co is brilliant.
365 recipes, & based on seasonal produce, but very adaptable

I've made this one a few times before, it freezes really well too.
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/leek-bacon-potato-soup

I made Goan fish curry tonight, from the 3 sisters quick and easy Indian cookbook. It was ok, not brilliant though. Can't decide if that's the recipe or poor execution due to the toddler hanging off me though.

Decided to be bold, and go with what I had in the fridge...a cauliflower. Im making this soup: www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/moroccan-spiced-cauliflower-almond-soup
Smells good, will see what the toddler thinks tomorrow. Tonight she had about 2 bites of scrambled egg and that was it so it can't be much worse.

Feeding toddlers is always an unpredictable business! That sounds like an interesting combination.
I made spicy tofu kedgery for dinner, topped with boiled eggs. It was a bit bland without the chilli but the kids liked it. Dd1 insisted that the yoke was removed from her egg though. She'll only eat dippy yoke, which I suppose is an improvement on last year's no yoke.

Made pumpkin seed cookies with dd1 today. They came out rather flatter that the picture, possibly because I didn't cut the chocolate very small. They are quite nice but I can't decide if the pumpkin seeds add much.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/pumpkin-seed-cookies

They look nice @glumygloomer I like seeds in things, I'd probably be tempted to also add sesame seeds! The soup was nice, although perhaps not quite filling enough for me. Toddler refused to even taste it. Typical!

@Imicola

This soup is currently flavour of the month with my 7 year old:

www.nigella.com/recipes/sunshine-soup

@LaLaLandIsNoFun thanks, that sounds good, I may give it a go tomorrow if we have any peppers left!

I made this for lunch today, with chicken instead of egg as I had some to use up. The family weren't convinced (they like thick soups) but I liked it. Didn't blend at all though because of the chicken.
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/curried-sweetcorn-soup

Soups are one of those things I've decided it's definitely worth making your own.
I'm quite tempted by the Covent Garden soup book, whenever I next have some disposable income.

@GlumyGloomer oh, another interesting one for my to try pile. Toddler is much fussier than usual, so I reckon I should just try whatever without worrying whether she'll like it!

I have some casserole steak for tomorrow's tea, but totally lacking inspiration again. Any suggestions? I'd usually go for curry. Of the made up variety!

@Imicola this is my favourit thing to do with stewing steak
www.deliaonline.com/recipes/international/european/french/boeuf-bourguignon
I've seen a few Chinese braised beef type recipes which sounded nice too but haven't actually made one in a very long time.

Went for curry again! I did a nice Asian style one not so long ago which was nice but I can't remember which recipe it was! I also get put off recipes which don't include vegetables... lazy cooking, I like to have it all in one pot, ready to go! Which may be partly to blame for DD now not really eating veg when they are separate. I was tempted by this one and will probably try it another day.
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/barbacoa-pulled-beef-tacos

@GlumyGloomer

How about this for £3 ?
www.amazon.co.uk/Soup-Every-Day-Favourite-Recipes/dp/B00BW8SG6O/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&crid=289AA4XQ3E8UH&keywords=new+covent+garden+soup+recipe+book&sprefix=new+covent%2Caps%2C159&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1605468626&sr=8-6

I've bought second-hand books from Amazon, & they've all been fine

Not sure if that's worked properly, but there are "buying options" on books. Postage can increase the cost, & delivery date can be long, but I find it worthwhile.

Imicola dd1 is the opersit, prefers her veg separate (in ketchup). At one point even pasta and sauce had to be separate but we're thankfully past that now. Steamfresh veg is my absolute saviour at the moment. I do love one pots though. What style of curry did you make?

Georgy thanks for the link, that looks like a good way to go.

Is it too early to talk Christmas food? I'm planning to make both Christmas cake and pudding this year, having never before made either. Last year I made a treacle sponge, but forgot that I have the small pudding basin, not the 1l one I used to use at my parents house. The sponge climbed out of the bowl and escaped into the steamer pan, leaving the syrup behind in the bowl. It was no one of my finest moments .

Tonight I made the sunshine soup recipe as mentioned by @LaLaLandIsNoFun up thread. Had a bit of a mishap, with some of my peppers coming out like charcoal, but it came out fine after cutting the charcoal bits off! Toddler seemed to think it was ok, it even made her laugh. It is quite sweet though for a soup!

I am now making "brookies" from the Christmas issue of good food magazine. Cookies on the bottom and brownie on the top. It's a bit time consuming but hopefully they will come out well.

@GlumyGloomer it was one with coconut and ground almonds, a bit like a korma, but less good! Im also planning Christmas cake and pudding to give as gifts. I've got one cake made already, looks ok. So expensive though! I've also never made them before... what recipe are you going for?

I'm planning to do this pudding:
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/chocolate-cherry-christmas-pudding
Got the ingredients coming at the start of December. I'm hoping the alcohol will evaporate out during reheating so that the kids can have it.

And this cake:
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/nancys-rudolph-christmas-cake

Chosen mostly because it says you can make it last minute. I'm not planning to ass any alcohol post cooking (again for the kids) so wasn't confident it would last well made in advance. Planning on letting dd1 decorate it though so it'll look nothing like that, lol.

I've made a 2 week plan for the Christmas/new year period, and next week I'll be batch cooking to hopefully have some days I don't cook at all.
I'm determined to be organised this year!

*add. No ass will be involved in my cake